List of abbreviations
This is an incomplete list of the most common abbreviations and shortenings often found in cryptics. Most are from The Chambers Dictionary, though a minority have been added as per vox populi usage. Please note that the criterion for entry into the main list is that it must be an abbreviation, shortening or synonym which is at most three letter and occurs with relative frequency in any of the major British cryptics. = Indicating word to abbreviation = A * About: re, on, c, ca * Abstainer: tt * Account: ac * Accountant: ca * Ace: a * Afternoon: pm * Alien: et * All: a * Alpha: a * American: Am, US * Ancient city: Ur actually an abbreviation, but a frequently used reference * Are: a * Area: a * Army: TA * Article: a, an, the * Artist(s): ra * At home: in * Avenue: Ave B * Bachelor: ba, b * Bearing: any compass point * Before: ere * Beginner: L * Bend: z, u * Bible: ot, nt, rv * Big: os * Bill: ac, ad * Billion(s): b, bn * Bishop: b, rr * Black: b * Book: b, ot, nt * Books: ot, nt * Born: b * Bravo: b * British: b * Business: co C * Car: rr * Castle: r * Catholic: c, rc * Caught: c * Celsius: C * Century: c * Chapter: c, ch * Charlie: c * Christ: X * Church: ce, ch, rc, ec * Circa: c, ca * Circle: o * City: NY, LA, EC * Classy: U * Club(s): c * Cocaine: c * Cold: c * Communications: pr * Communist: red * Companion: ch * Company: co * Composer: arne actually an abbreviation * Computing: IT * Concerning: re * Conservative: c * Coordinate: x, y * Copper: p, d, pc, cu * Court: ct * Credit: cr * Cricket side: XI, on, off, leg * Current: ac, dc, i, in D * Daughter: d * Day: d * Dead: d * Decoration: om, cbe, etc. * Delta: d * Democrat: d * Density: d * Departs: d * Diamond(s): d * Dictionary: oed * Died: d * Direction: any compass point S, E, W or SE, NW, SSE, etc. * Doctor: dr, doc, mo, gp * Drug: c, e, h, pot * Dry: tt * Duck: o * Duke: d E * Each: ea, per * Earl: e * East: e * Echo: e * Ecstasy: e * Editor: ed * Electronic: e * Eleven: xi * Encore: bis * Energy: e * Engineer: ce, re * English: e * European: e * Excellent: A1 * Expert: ace, pro * Exercise: PE, PT * Extra terrestrial: ET F * Fahrenheit: F * Family: kin * Farthing: f * Fashionable: in * Fast: lent * Father: pa, pop, dad, fr * Fellow: f, don * Feminine: f * Fifty: L * Film: any film, though often ET or Kes * Fine: f * Firm: co * First: 1st * First class: A1 * Five: V * Fliers: RAF * Following: f * Football team: XI * For example: eg * Former: ex * Four: IV * Forte: f * Foxtrot: f * Function: sin, cos, other mathematical functions G * General: lee * Gold: au, or * Golf: g * Good: g * Good man: st * Grand: g, k, m * Gym: pe, pt H * Hand: l, r * Hard: h * Heart(s): h * Heroin: h * Holy man: st * Home: in * Horse: gg * Hospital: h * Hot: h * Hotel: h * Hour: h, hr * Hundred: c * Husband: h I * I'm obliged: ta * India: i * Information: gen * Internet: net, www * Iron: fe * Island: i, is, man J * Jack: ab, os, tar * Jail: can * Journalist: ed * Judge: j, ref * Juliet: j K * Key: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, ESC, other computer keys * Kilo: k * King: k, r, er, any king * Kiss: x * Knight: n abbreviation L * Lake: l, any lake * Latin: l * Lawyer: da * Lead: pb * Learner: L * Left: l * Liberal: l * Lima: l * Line: l, ry * Lines: ll * Look: lo * Loud: f, ff * Love: o * Low: moo * Lunch: meal M * Magistrate: jp * Maiden: m * Main: sea * Male: m * Mark: m * Married: m * Mass: m * Measure: em, en * Medal: ch, vc, obe, om, gc, etc. * Member: arm, leg, toe, etc. , mp * Men: or, re * Mercury: hg * Mike: m * Mile(s): m, mi * Million(s): m * Minister: dd * Minute(s): m * Monarch: see king and queen. * Month: m * Morning: am * Mother: ma, mum, dam * Mum: m, ma, mom, sh N * Name: n * Navy: RN * Nazis: SS * Neat: ox * Neon: ne * Network: lan * New: n * Newspaper: FT Times, organ, rag * None: o * Noon: n, m * North: n * North America: na * Note: nb, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, te * Nothing: o * November: n, Nov * Number: n, no, any Roman numeral O * Old: ex, o * Old boy: ob * Old city: ur * On: re * One: I, a, an * Operation: op * Opposed: v, vs * Oscar: o P * Page: p * Pages: pp * Papa: p * Papers: id * Parking: p * Party: do, lab, lib, con, anc * Pawn: p * Pence, penny: p, d * Piano: p * Point: any compass point * Popular: in * Position: put * Posh: u * Pound(s): l, lb * Power: p * Pressure: p * Priest: p * Prison: can, jug * Promise: iou * Provided: so * Professional: pro * Pub: ph Q * Quarter: n, e, s, w * Quebec: q * Queen: q, r, hm, er, any queen * Question: q, qu * Quiet: sh, p, pp * Quietly: p, pp * Quite loud: mf * Quite quiet: mp R * Railway: ry * Recipe: r * Record: cd, lp, ep, log, sp * Regiment'': re * '''Resistance: r * Right: r * River: r * Road: rd, ai, mi * Romeo: r * Rook: r * Rugby: RU, RL * Run(s): r * Run out: ro S * Sailor: tar, ab, os * Saint: st * Scotsman: Ian, Mac * Say: eg * Second: s, mo * Second-rate: B * See: v * Setter: i, me, gel * Shilling: s * Shirt: t * Ship: ss * Side: xi (eleven) * Sierra: s * Sign: zodiac signs * Sign of error: x * Silver: ag * Soap: ER * Socialist: red * Soft(ly): p, pp * Soldier: gi, rm, re * Soldiers: men, or * Son(s): s * South: s * South American: SA * Space: em, en * Spade(s): s * Sport: ru, rl * Square: s, t * State: aver, any US state or 3-letter abbreviation, e.g. CA or Cal for California * Street: st, rd, way, ave * Student: L, Ba, Bsc * Succeeded: s * Suit: c, d, h, s T * Take: r * Tango: t * Tar: see sailor. * Tax: VAT, NI * Teachers: NUT * Team: XI * Tea: cha * Temperature: t * Technology: it, ict * Tense: t * Thanks: ta * That is, that's: ie * Theologian: dd * Thousand: k, m * Tin: sn * Time: t * Times: tt, by, x * Ten: X * Tracks: ry * Turn: go, u U * Uniform: u * Universal: U * University: u, ou * Unknown: x, y, z * Upper class: u V * Variable: see unknown. * Versus: v, vs * Very: v * Victor: v * Victory: v * Volunteers: ta W * Way: see street. * Web: net, www * Week: w * West: w * Whiskey: w * Wide: w * Wife: w * Wine: asti, tent, sec * With: w * Without: wo * Woman: she * Women('s): w * Won: w * Work: op * Worker: ant, bee * Working: on * Writer: pen * Writing: ms X * X-ray: x Y * Yankee: y * Year: y, yr Z * Zero: o * Zulu: z External Links * Cryptic crossword abbreviations Category:Setting and solving aids